Christmas is coming.......

Yes indeedy its just around the corner and I have busy sewing costumes for the group of girls who will be dancing at the Coca-Cola Christmas in the Park, which is a big variety show that is performed live and televised here in NZ.  My kitchen has been full of tuelle and satin all weekend.  In between times I have been making little christmas boxes to fill will chocolates for gifts.  I try and make some handmade gifts each year and this year I have dedided on these little milk carton boxes decorated and then I will go to the bulk bins and buy wrapped chocolates to pop inside.  These are the first 2 made and I am hoping to get at least another 8 made but then I also need more Christmas cards.....hmmmm how much time do I have..........

These stand about 51/2 inches high so aren't overly big - otherwise they cost too much to fill.  So these are being displayed in Sassy Cheryls "Anything Goes" challenge this week.

Do modern and vintage mix?

Well here I am posing another question.  All because of something not going as planned.

All week I have been itching to make a card but I have been making spats instead.  Spats for a cabaret show that the owner of the Dance Studio Abbey attends also operates.  The brief was a pair of short tartan boots with gold buttons up the side and a pair of long white ones with red buttons up the side.  My deadline was Friday night, so I have been beavering away and delivered them yesterday afternnon with a couple of hours to spare.

Today I managed to get to my desk in preparation of card making.  I had in mind a card that was cute but vintagey in style.  I wanted to try and colour, using distress inks, an image that came under the "cute" classification.  I chose my image and set to with inks, I decide that I wanted to age the background so it wasn't  so white and this is where the plan fell apart as it did not look good.  So......what to do as before the background atempt I was quite happy with my image.  Only thing I could do...cut it out.    I made the larger tag and inked it using a mask then spritzed it with gold, you can't really see it, but I know its there.  Sassy  Cheryl's challenge this week is "Anything Goes".  Lucky for me as this one fits right in.

Is less really more?

Good question, is less indeed more?

I have been trying to use this motto as I look at cards others makes and think, this is so simple and clean and fresh.  A couple of my friends are really good at this clean and simple approach ( yes I am refering to you B and C).  Why is it I am always drawn to ribbons and bows and flowers and pins and pearls and......? Why is it that I always have to use an image?  A card doesn't seem to be a card unless I use an image and yet I look at cards without them and have to admire them.  

So that brings me to my attempt last night of "less is more".  I chose red and white as my colour scheme CAS will be easier with only 2 colours......right?  Chose my image and coloured it, keeping to red and white, (well except the hair).  Doing well so far.  Checked out Sassy Cheryl to see what this weeks challenge is.  "Emboss it", yep that works. Embossed my background,  made a snowman, embossed him.  Ok and this is where I started going a little off track........less became way more than more.......

So to answer the question " is less more"?  Well how can it possibly be the question doesn't even make any sense.

I would like to ennter this into Sassy Cheryl's challenge #89 Emboss It

Looking for a penguin led me to Di's Digital Downloads

Yes it is true I've been on the hunt for a penguin, just had it in my mind that I wanted penguins on some christmas cards all because I have this rougue piece of paper with little christmas penguins on it.  My search led me to a site that has previously elluded me. Di'sDigital Download and penguins she indeed has.  The second thing I discovered is a challenge with ribbons and bows, well you all know how I love my bows so yep I made a card with penguins and bows and I thought I might pop it into Di's challenge.  So this is a little sample of one of the previous posts mentioned Christmas cards I made.  Ha and I didn't use the penguin paper on it after all...... he's cute though huh?

Now what I would like to know is what do people use for snow? I have seen this "stuff" on cards and it looks like snow, raised and kind of puffy - what is that stuff?



Oh and I forgot to mention I have removed the word thingy from when you post a comment - sorry didn't realise it was on.

Something different

Well I have a very productive weekend started with 4 christmas cards made and ended with 16.  Not bad if I do say so myself.  Some I made vintage and some cute.  Of course I can't post them all so you will just have to take my word for it.  I am however going to post this little one that it quite different from my usual style.  It is a La Blanche stamp called "In the Meadow".  There are two in the set this is just one.  Now I have to say that I would never have given these stamps a second look until won in a blog post. They are really quite amazing the detail is incredible and they stamp and ink beautifully.  So my tastes are evolving which is a good thing and I don't generally do clean and simple - more inclined to add a little bit more.  But these images just don't need it.  Oh and sorry this one isn't a christmas card  - just a "because I can" card.